A Survivor is Born
by Ashdos
Summary: Investigating for a case Senior Prosecutor Cassidy Grey visits an inmate in Arkham Asylum. However, the timing is terrible as The Joker has decided to throw his grand party. Cassidy must fight for her life to survive. She faces against her greatest fears and discovers a fighter within herself. Now she faces against prisoners she once fought in a court room and they want her blood.


**Hello all! So I had this story sitting around and I finally decided to put it up. It's basically the takeover night from a different perspective. It was originally a doctor but I felt that angle has been over-used a bit so I thought I'd do a layer. Now I'm not an expert when it comes to lawyers or police so I've written this to the best of my ability and knowledge. And yes it will have all the favourites but all in good time. This first chapter is really un-exciting it basically introduces the characters and sets the story up. Anyway would love to hear any comments you have but otherwise thanks for reading hope you enjoy it. **

Without even looking at the clock Cassidy could tell that she had gone overtime again. It was when the last rays of sunlight stretched far across the room hitting the mirror on her office wall. The reflection of light always caught her attention and warned her that the day was almost over. Like always she shut off her computer and pushed aside her paperwork. Scooping up her coffee mug and crumb-riddled plate she exited the office to wash her dishes. She gathered her belongings and a file she intended to read at home. Just as she was about to walk away the phone on her desk started ringing. She considered ignoring but saw who was calling. She reached down and picked up the receiver.

"What's up John?" she spoke.

"The GCPD are here. They're waiting for you in the meeting room. They're not happy" John warned. Cassidy gave a loud sigh.

"John there's nothing more I can say to them. They know what needs to be done"

"I know I know, but they're police you know what they're like. They've got to have things their way" John's voice always reminded Cassidy of a wise old scholar.

"I'm not signing the indictment-"

"Just... humour them" there was long pause as Cassidy pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Cass?"

"Ok" with that she hung up the phone and headed towards the door. She took one last look at her messy office, _this case is goddamn mess._ She locked the door behind her and headed down the hall.

"We've been working on this day and night and you're telling me she doesn't want to sign the indictment?" an officer donning a blue uniform with countless badges sewn on said.

"What did you expect? The case won't hold up in court" John responded. The officer slammed his palm on the table just as Cassidy entered the room. She cocked an eyebrow at him as she found a seat. His lips were pierced and his cheeks flushed in dark red.

"Gentlemen this is Senior Prosecutor Cassidy Grey" John said indicating to the only female in the room.

"I'm well aware of who she is" the officer spat. Cassidy ignored the comment and began pulling paperwork out of her briefcase and pushing them over to the detective sitting opposite of her. She caught a glimpse of him- he looked the same age as her early to mid thirties. He wore a neatly pressed dark suit with a maroon tie. He had dark hair and fair skin.

"You want to arrest and charge Oswald Cobblepot and you have little to no evidence- not even a body- because he was caught on CCTV around this man's last known location" Cassidy challenged.

"I'm sorry but this won't even get past committal" she added.

"It's the fucking Penguin for crying out loud! The timing is right and- why are you trying so hard to defend this man?" the officer shouted. Cassidy kept her composure by tying her dark curly hair up in a bun.

"Reasonable doubt... that's all it takes. We have to prove that Oswald did it, all defence has to do is create reasonable doubt. Now if you want a strong case find the body, or a weapon, or a witness, heck even a splatter of blood would be a start" he slammed his fist again. His frustration was beginning to get the better of him. Cassidy understood that all he wanted was to put the crime lord away for good. But she couldn't take a case she knew she would lose.

"What if we had evidence for a different crime?" the detective said. Cassidy thought for a moment.

"Well get me strong evidence for any crime and yeah... I could get him a long sentence" Cassidy reassured. The man in the uniform turned around to face the detective- his interest piqued.

"I'm sorry I don't believe I know your name" Cassidy said holding out a hand. He accepted.

"Of course I'm detective Wesley, and this is Sergeant Crosby" he said looking at the well decorated officer.

"What are you talking about other crimes?" Crosby said leaning across the table. Wesley shrugged.

"I got a tip a few days ago from someone who says he has evidence of Oswald laundering money" Crosby's eyes almost popped out of his face.

"And you waited this fucking long to say something!" he screeched. Wesley didn't even flinch- Cassidy guessed he'd been working with this man for a while.

"Wait what evidence?" John asked leaning forward.

"Not sure, like I said it was only a tip" Cassidy shook her head.

"Why didn't you follow up on it?" she queried.

"I meant to but I was too busy sorting this case out" he said pointing to the files scattered across the table.

"And besides the person who gave it doesn't exactly have a good standing record with the PD" now everyone's interest was captured.

"Edward Enigma" Cassidy closed her eyes and let out a tired sigh.

"Where is he? Go talk to him" Crosby demanded.

"He is currently incarcerated in Arkham Asylum" Crosby looked at his watch and back to the table.

"I'll go call them and let them know you're coming" Crosby began pulling his cell phone from his pocket. John gathered the papers on the table.

"Is everything alright?" the detective noticed Cassidy's exhausted look. She squeezed her eyes shut then opened them again.

"I'm just not sure chasing Edward is such a good idea"

"What else do we have?"

"Look the guy's a lunatic, there's a reason he's in Arkham" she said rubbing her temples. Wesley looked to John confused.

"She was part of his defence team a few years ago before she started working here, she had him plead insanity" John said.

"Brilliant then you should go with Detective Wesley, that way you can hear the evidence first hand" Crosby suggested.

"With all due respect I think I'm the last person that Edward wants to see" Cassidy moaned.

"Actually he'll likely trust you, I mean he trusted you enough to defend him in court" Wesley stated.

"And I lost the case"

"But you got him out of jail time"

"And into mental hospital instead. Something tells me he's not going to be grateful and appreciative"

"We should give it a try, if it gets Oswald off the street..." John held his hands out to her.

"You weren't kidding when you said the police were clutching at straws" Crosby shot a sour look at John. Cassidy began rising from her seat.

"I'll go, but only for fifteen minutes if he starts playing games or refuses to talk I won't be wasting any more time" Everyone shook hands as they departed the building. Crosby's mood had elevated slightly- enough that he didn't crush the lawyers' hands when he shook them.

"Mrs Grey" Wesley shouted. Cassidy descended down the marble steps in front of the firm.

"It's Miss, and please call me Cass" she said.

"Sorry, Cass would you like to go in my car?" he said.

"Sure" she headed to the passenger side and got in. She flipped the mirror down and examined her tired eyes. To her surprise they weren't too bad. Her dark skin looked a little dry however her sea green eyes always made her appearance look somewhat youthful. As they drove through Gotham city the last rays of sunlight glinted between the buildings of the gothic urban jungle.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The sun had disappeared behind the horizon when Wesley and Cassidy turned onto Arkham Road. The surrounding forest had already begun shedding its leaves for winter. Skeletal branches closed in cocooning the road. Cassidy spotted the Arkham Asylum sign. She felt goose bumps tingle across her skin when she read the words beneath it- _Hitch hikers may be escaped prisoners._

Finally the gates came into view. Cassidy thought it looked more like a haunted mansion than a place for the criminally insane. Wesley slowed down as they approached the car park. The hospital looked ominous against the moonlight which Cass noticed was full tonight- and unusually large. She figured it was perhaps a phenomenon. One of those 'once every hundred years' type things. She pushed aside her caution and approached the visitors' entrance; it would only take fifteen minutes she told herself. _Fifteen minutes then I can put this place behind me and forget about it. _Just as they ascended the steps the roar of an engine erupted through the air. Cassidy jumped and spun around to see a black strange looking car drive in through the gates.

"Holy shit that's Batman's car!" Wesley commented. Cassidy looked closer to notice it was indeed. She'd only seen it once flying down Gotham's CBD.

"I wonder what he's doing here" Wesley shrugged.

"Probably just dropping someone off" Cassidy watched as sleek black car disappeared through another entrance. She took a deep breath and entered the building.

Once they got their visitor tags they were escorted to a room where they could speak privately with their person of interest. Every so often Warden Sharp's voice could be heard over the monitor informing everyone of current situations. The latest one reminded staff that Blackgate prisoners had been transferred here.

"Great, I'm pretty sure I put away half those guys. Let's just hope they're locked behind tight bars" Cassidy quipped. Wesley chuckled.

"I'm sure they are" As they turned a corridor they came face to face with the commissioner himself.

"Commissioner Gordan" Wesley shook his hand.

"Detective Wesley, funny seeing you here. Not an ideal place for a man your age to hang out" Gordan joked.

"Ah well when you're with pleasurable company it doesn't matter where you are" Wesley replied. Cassidy took it as a signal to introduce herself.

"Hi Commissioner I'm Cassidy Grey" she said presenting her hand. The commissioner gave it a strong shake. He was a beefy man who looked like he could still hold his own.

"Ah yes, I've heard about you. You've been busy locking our boys away. Who's next on the list?"

"Cobblepot" Wesley answered. Gordan nodded his head slowly.

"Oswald, a shady man with a lot of connections. Hate to admit it but he's clever too"

"Well we might finally have something on him, it's actually why we're here tonight" Wesley informed. Just as Gordan went to say something he's phone began to chime. He pulled it out and looked at it for a moment. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry as much as I would like to stay and help with your case I've got bigger fish to fry. I did actually have a reason to come here tonight" he said as he began walking away.

"Is it something to do with Batman being here?" Wesley shouted to him. Gordan stopped and turned.

"Yeah he's bringing someone in"

"Really? Who?" Cassidy asked.

"Believe it or not its Joker" Wesley made a pained face. With Joker came a lot of publicity and a lot of paper work. Cassidy was lucky that court was never in the cards for The Joker. If he was apprehended he was taken straight to Arkham Asylum. Cassidy was not one to support the death penalty but she did wonder how he managed to it avoid every single time.

They weren't waiting long when Edward Enigma was escorted into the room. They shackled him to the table and floor. To Cassidy's understanding he wasn't an impulsively violent person he has however committed several murders.

"Edward Enigma I'm detective Wesley and this is senior prosecutor Cassidy Grey" Edward lifted his head and looked at Cassidy. Recognition glimmered in his eyes.

"Well well, prosecutor? Didn't like defending criminals?" he said sardonically.

"Edward we we're told you could give us evidence against Peng- Oswald Cobblepot" Cassidy caught herself almost using his criminal name instead of his real name.

"Penguin? Yes I believe I do"

"Well why don't you share it with us?" Wesley said switching a voice recorder on.

"Oh it's not that easy. First you have to prove you can even find it" Cassidy rolled her eyes.

"We don't have time for riddles" she spat. He held up a finger to silence her- his hands still shackled together.

"But only the brighter minds will be able to find it, so I'm afraid it might be out of your... intellectual range Miss Grey" Cassidy cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Are saying I'm too stupid to take evidence?" she challenged. The Riddler shrugged.

"Well from what I've seen in your past performances you have a few short comings to make up for" he gave her a devilish smile. Cassidy got up from her seat and headed for the door.

"Aw have I upset you. Honestly I'm just being critical, don't take it personally. There's a lot of people out there just like you. Don't be like that, you don't want to miss the party" he chuckled.

"He's all yours, let me know when you're done" she said to Wesley before shutting the door. She leaned on the door and took a deep breath. She hated representing him in court but she had no choice. All throughout his trail he heckled her, abused her, and demeaned her. She knew she wouldn't win but she did her best to lower his sentence. Seeing him again reminded her how much she hated prideful idiots like him, unfortunately in her line of work she dealt with a lot of people just like him. The vibration of her phone interrupted her thoughts. It was call from her sister.

"Hey Layla, I'm sorry I didn't call I... got caught up with something. Is Lilly in bed?"

"No she won't go to bed she wanted to see you first" Layla cooed. Cassidy smiled.

"Put her on for me" she heard her sister call out to Lilly. There was a brief pause until a toddlers voice spoke through.

"Mommy?" her smile widened when she heard Lilly's voice.

"Hey sweetie, its mommy"

"When are you coming home?" she said in a tired voice.

"Soon sweetie, mommy's just finishing her work. I'll be home soon" there was a pause before Lilly spoke again.

"Will you read to me?"

"Of course, actually why don't you get ready for bed and pick a book out for mommy to read. How does that sound" Cassidy said in her motherly tone.

"Okay" Lilly yawned.

"Bye sweetie I love you" Cassidy said just as Layla went back on the phone.

"She's so tired, it's cute. Hey did you want me to leave some dinner out?"

"No it's fine I'll just grab something on the way home" Cassidy said.

Suddenly an alarm erupted throughout the corridor. Cassidy covered her other ear as the alarm blared above her.

"What is that?" Layla asked.

"I'm not sure, look Layla I have to go I'll see you soon" Cassidy yelled before hanging up. Behind her the door opened and Wesley stepped out.

"What is this?" she yelled to him.

"I'm not sure but I think we should leave I'm not getting anywhere with Edward" he said as they started down the corridor.

"I'm not surprised, all he probably wanted was some attention- he's a compulsive freak" Cassidy said as she moved out of a guard's way. They reached the door to the visitor lobby and they stood in front of it waiting for it to automatically open. They looked around and even banged on the metal door but it remained shut. Cassidy noticed two red lights on the door- usually they were green.

"I think it's locked" she yelled. Just as she said that the alarm stopped. There was moment of silence before a voice came over the speaker.

"Ladies and maniacs, I apologise for this interruption to your regular entertainment. Up until a few seconds ago I was going to kill everyone in the room and then watch cartoons but then well... you know how much I do love a captive audience" Wesley and Cassidy looked to each other. The same confused look painted on their faces.

"Kill everyone?" Wesley said knocking on the metal door.

"I seriously hope that's an orderly having a joke or something" Cassidy looked down the corridor for someone to let them out. But it was completely empty. It was the administration level and it was well past knock off.

"Come on, we got to find a different way out of here" Wesley headed down the corridor with Cassidy following behind. The same voice came over a few more times. Cassidy didn't catch what they were saying but it didn't sound like a staff member.

"Blah blah blah, always with the hero speak. I'm getting bored just watching you, why don't you come find me" the voice sounded comical to Cassidy. Like an enthusiastically cheery person. So why couldn't she help but shiver every time they spoke?

"I really don't like this" Wesley's voice carried a worried tone. It put Cassidy on edge.

They tried every door they went past but most were locked. Finally they found one that would open. It led to staff quarters. Cassidy suspected something amiss when half eaten food had been left behind on the counter. Steam was still rising from the forgotten coffees.

"Where is everyone?" now she was really worried.

"I'm not sure but this door isn't locked. I say we just keep going until we find an emergency exit or something" Wesley said pushing the door open. The sound of an alarm flooded through when he opened the door. They came into another corridor however this one was different from the visitor area. Where they had come in was white and clean. This area looked run down and was mostly metal bars.

"Oh shit" Wesley stammered. Cassidy moved to look past him. Along the corridor were several dead guards leaning against walls. Cassidy's eyes widened in horror.

"What the-"

"Security Breach in Level B1" a monotonous voice announced.

"I think I know what's happening" Wesley said not taking his eyes off the guards.

"Security Breach in Level B2"

"What is happening?" Cassidy shrilled.

"It's a fucking breakout or something"

"Security Breach in Level B3"

"What? Who's breaking out?" Wesley pointed to the wall beside her. Cassidy's body trembled when she looked at the smile of the green spray-painted face on the wall. The Joker was loose and they were trapped inside with and every other maniac in Arkham Asylum.


End file.
